Lessons from My First Year of Blogging

20170415163730_IMG_3223-01Happy Anniversary!  I cannot believe Sassy Teacher Chic has been online for one year. I never imagined that I would be able to share my personal style, life lessons, and travels with so many of you.  Yet here we are. Thank you for being here with me today. After months of wordpress, photoshoots, collaborations, meetups, and travels- I’ve had many experiences in the blogging world. What have I learned after one year of blogging?

 1. Comparison is the thief of joy.  We have all heard this before.  Sometimes I look at other bloggers and I begin to feel defeated. I see their success and wonder, what am I doing wrong? I’m a school teacher after all, it’s ingrained in me to measure myself by a grade of some sort. In the blogging community the grade is how many followers, likes, comments, engagement, collaborations, etc do you have. Falling into this mindset does nothing for me (or you).  I’ve learned this past year that it’s not good to compare myself with others.  Stay in your own lane, live your life, and be happy.  Growth takes time. Rome was not built in a day, and neither will a blog be built in a day.

2. Balance is the key.  This year, I tried to post everyday on social media. However, things happened and sometimes I had to skip my daily post.  At one point, I was sick with the flu for a week. (You guys didn’t want to see that, I’m sure.) At times, my photographer husband was out of town or he was just unavailable to take my photo.  My aunt passed away in October leaving a deep whole in my heart. We also had special weeks of activity planned in our congregation. I had papers to grade, lessons plans to write, and a car that was rear ended. Life just happened and I didn’t get to share a photo. Overtime, I began to be invited to events such as grand openings, fashion shows, etc. How wonderful! However, they’re also time consuming. I needed to find a baby sitter if Jason wasn’t home, and then drive to Dallas (where most events are). The stress of learning to balance it all began to weigh on me. Blogging begin to feel like a burden, and that didn’t make me happy at all.  I needed to plan better and to find balance. This year of blogging has really made me realize that as much as I enjoy blogging, it cannot take priority over my family life or spirituality. *Plan, plan, plan!  I now use a calendar to plan my blog post and photo shoots. Additionally, I utilize the Like to Know It app to draft my instagram post. This keeps me from being glued to social media.

IMG_20170428_154538_6923. Remember your purpose.  Being sick for a week was good for me.  It really allowed me to meditate and reflect (as I lay there in my feverish state) about the reason I began blogging in the first place.  For me, blogging is a way of sharing!  So many of my friends do not care one iota about style, and it was so nice to find others who do care what shoe goes with what dress. If you ever meet me in person, you’ll realize something else: I’m a talker! Blogging has given me a platform in which I can talk.  My career right now is teaching elementary school, being a wife to Jason, and a mother to Jocelyn. This is what makes me the happiest in life. Blogging at this point in time is a side business and personal hobby. One that I’m passionate about, obviously, but I must be realistic.  So why compare myself with career bloggers? Why stress out if I didn’t get to post my outfit of the day? Do I really need (or even want) to go to that event? Nah. I slowly realized that I needed to stick to my purpose of sharing, and just like that I felt so much better!

4. Be True to Yourself.  As the year went on, I was often approached by companies to collaborate.  During a collaboration or partnership, I am given a product to test and then I share my opinion with others on my blog and Instagram account.  This is a win-win for both myself and the brand I’m working with. I get to try new things and that brand gets promoted on social media. I love this aspect of blogging!  I’ve been able to try out hair extensions, beautiful clothing, lotions, ice cream, handbags, and so much more! However, like all good things there is a downside.  I found myself being approached by companies whose brand/products do not fit my modest brand.  It’s hard to say no, and for one moment I considered working with those brands. However, I knew I had to be true to my values and my audience. I choose not to participate and I’m happy.IMG_20170420_215021_0585. Content Is King. They say, if you build it they will come.  This is true of social media. A big part of blogging is photograph and content. Therefore, I’ve taken the time to really improve my writing style, how to pose, lights, angles, and the art of photography. (I’m still working on the posing part. I’m so glad my husband is patient with me!) I’ve learned it’s not just the outfit that matters. It’s the quality of your content. This year, the quality of my photos has improved and thus the reach of my audience has too. *My two favorite apps are: Touch Retouch and Snapseed. Both of these have allowed me to edit my images. While I still use my Galaxy Note 5 to take photos, Jason’s Cannon 6D camera is King!

6. Join a Blogging Community! No man (or woman) is an island. We all need support. This is certainly true with blogging. Last year, I joined Style Collective, a support group for bloggers. Thru Style Collective I’ve become a girl boss. I was able to meet great brands to collaborate with, get to know other bloggers, find out about meet ups, get advice on wordpress, and so much more! I’ve learned about SEO (search engine organization), photography, New York Fashion Week, how to monetize my blog, and best practices. If blogging is something that you’re interested it, either for a career or a hobby, please consider joining a blogging group.

So there you have it! Six things I’ve learned from my first year of blogging.  To celebrate, I’m sharing a $25 gift card to Macy’s Backstage. Macy’s Backstage is similar to Nordstrom Rack. How?  Items that have been are leftover from the previous season or have been deeply discounted are placed at Macy’s Backstage. It’s the place to find department store items at everyday prices. (You can use the gift card at both Macy’s Backstage and Macy’s Department Store.) For those who admire this dress I’ve linked it here for you here. To enter the giveaway: Leave a comment on my blog below.

****UPDATE**** And the winner is, Lovepanick!  I will contact you via email. Thank you to everyone who commented. As always, thanks for stopping by! IMG_20170427_200942_395

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30 Comments

  1. Ashley Perez
    June 1, 2017 / 9:40 pm

    Your dress is gorgeous! Would love to win!:)

  2. June 2, 2017 / 12:35 am

    I love this post.
    All the points are very importants and while I was reading I was thinking on them.
    Congratulations for your first year of blogging and having things so clear

    • June 2, 2017 / 2:09 pm

      I’m very glad you stopped by! I have learned a lot and hope my lessons help others. You’rr name is now in the drawing.

  3. June 2, 2017 / 10:07 am

    Congratulations sweety. You are lovely!♥

  4. Lovepanick
    June 2, 2017 / 12:26 pm

    Such a pretty dress 😉

  5. June 2, 2017 / 10:19 pm

    Comparison really is the thief of joy! Love how you said that!!!

    • June 2, 2017 / 10:47 pm

      Yes it is. We must live our life and be happy.

  6. June 3, 2017 / 8:30 am

    What a great post! I’ve started my blog around the same time and I can relate to so many things that you wrote! Additionally, this outfit looks great on you! <3

    xo, Alice

  7. June 3, 2017 / 9:12 am

    These are all such great lessons/tips. I totally think it’s important to join a community – it’s nice to have a supportive team and it’s nice to see others supporting and empowering others!

    Also, I love your dress!

    Linda

    • June 3, 2017 / 11:40 am

      Thank you Linda! A supportive community is a must!

  8. StyleVicksen
    June 3, 2017 / 12:39 pm

    I love this! I found some good gems of information in your post! Posing was (and still is) hard for me too. And as far as photos, I had to buy remote for my camera so I could take them on my own (you might want to look into that. It works really well with a tripod).

    • June 3, 2017 / 1:36 pm

      Yes, I use a tripod too! Still, I love it when my husband can take my photos.

    • June 3, 2017 / 8:03 pm

      Thank you Debbie. I’m glad the tips are helpful.

  9. June 4, 2017 / 5:58 am

    You look gorg girl! Congrats on your first year of blogging. Joining a blogging group is one of the most important things a newbie blogger can do <3 Having a good, solid support system is essential for success <3

    Kimberly
    http://www.brunchandgloss.com

    • June 5, 2017 / 12:44 pm

      Yes it is! I’m so glad I joined Style Collective.

  10. June 4, 2017 / 8:23 pm

    Congrats! and always, always always be reminded of your purpose it’s how to started blogging anyway right?! so happy for you! to many years of blogging!

    ♡Courtney Bentley ||http://www.starsystemz.com

    • June 5, 2017 / 12:44 pm

      Blogging is definitely something that you must do for yourself and not for others.

  11. June 5, 2017 / 12:36 am

    I agree with so many things you said especially the comparison piece! Such a great reminder, thanks for sharing and Happy Blog-aversary!

    • June 5, 2017 / 12:43 pm

      Yes,it’s always best to live your own life and not compare your journey to others.

  12. June 5, 2017 / 6:34 am

    Happy one year of blogging! You look beautiful!

    • June 5, 2017 / 12:42 pm

      Thank you so much Emily!

  13. April 4, 2019 / 9:19 am

    Could you inform me what theme are you making use of on your
    site? It looks nice.

    • June 13, 2019 / 12:47 pm

      I use style and light by Pipdig.

  14. September 22, 2019 / 6:06 pm

    Love the honesty in this post! I’m also a teacher fashion blogger who JUST started out and it’s so easy to feel defeated and compare myself with full time bloggers. It’s discouraging when I pour my heart and soul into a piece and get no feedback. How long did it take for your blog/Instagram to pick up steam and could you offer any more advice to those just starting out like me?
    Beautiful photos!

    • November 20, 2019 / 11:38 am

      Hi Erika,
      Thanks for reading the post. I’ve been blogging for three years now. I posted consistently on instagram and build an audience before starting a blog. I believe this has helped me to have active readers. You may try doing this. I started to pick up real steam in year 2.

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